List/Grid Tag Archives: Travel
First Night Away: German Christmas Markets
For our first overnight outing, we took our seven week old daughter, Peanut, to the Christmas market in Aachen, Germany. We always said that we are not going to be the parents that bend to our daughter’s every need, but who a re we kidding? We chose Aachen because it is the closest Christmas market to the Dutch border. Instead of taking a day trip by train to the markets like half of The Netherlands…
Coming Home
Sometimes the best part of a trip is returning home, to the comforts and familiarity of our household and to those who have missed our absence. Much harder to return home after five fantastic days in New York City – it’s tough to compete against great Broadway theater, gritty subway rides, expensive meals that are worth every last penny, people watching in Chinatown, Little Italy, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, sauntering across the Brooklyn Bridge and some lucky run-ins…
The Highs And Lows Of Taking A Trip Without My Toddler
This past weekend I went to a reunion in San Francisco and it was my first time away from my husband and 2-year old son, The Littlest E. I was excited about visiting friends I hadn’t seen in many years and seeing my sister and nephew, as I was staying with them. I was also nervous about leaving my son for the weekend. I’ve traveled without my husband, but this time it was different. I’d…
Mini-Babymoon: Bubbles, Beer, and Chocolate
My husband and I are trying to fit in as many fun activities as we can before the baby arrives. A woman in my birthing class that is eight and a half months pregnant nonchalantly mentioned she went kayaking. That is not exactly what I have in mind. Last weekend, we spent a night away in nearby Ghent, Belgium. It is a three hour car drive for us and, for many reasons, was just the…
Living La Dolce Vita When In Italy With Kids
My six year old, the self-admitted chocoholic, is coming off a serious bender. Our recent trip to Italy had us all indulging as never before (as one is surely prone to do while visiting that beautiful and bountiful country). The adults packed on serious pasta paunches, sipped chianti and nibbled proscuitto e melone. My sons sampled every flavor of gelato known to humankind and ate their way through countless jars of Nutella®. We have Nutella…
Business Travel While Pregnant: Part IV – Delivery Room
Early my second day at the hospital, a nurse came in to give me a small plastic tray of pills. She did not stop to explain or even make eye contact with me so I figured someone would explain later. I set the pills aside. I knew one of the pills was magnesium, but I had shown my bottle of prenatal vitamins to the night nurse and thought I had explained that I was already…
Business Travel While Pregnant: Part III – First Hospital Stay
Prior to this last trip to Germany, I had never before been a patient in a hospital. Sure I have visited friends and family in the hospital. I have been to hospitals to have blood drawn and get an MRI, for instance, but I have never before been admitted or spent the night. It was horrible. I don’t think the caregivers I met during my stay meant anything but the best for me. I just don’t…
Seen And Not Heard
My sons, ages 6 and 3, are often described by the euphemistically inclined as “high-energy”. Adjectives that are never, ever used to describe them include “quiet”, “calm”, “cautious”, and “shy”. As Canadians, we are a culture that celebrates childhood with gusto. We seek our children’s opinions (in the presence of adults!), let them run barefoot in the park, leave chocolate moustache’s intact. We set boundaries, of course, build etiquette (or at least we are trying)….
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